No carrier detected although modem detects ring

hello! i'd be really grateful if any of you can offer some advice regarding this problem of mine. each time i try to dial up another computer using a phone dialer program, i receive this message " no carrier detected. please check your cable". what does it mean by checking my cable? what kind of cable must i use? is it a different one compared to the one i usually use for internet connection? i tried using hyperterminal to check my connection but the same message was received. the phone rings at the other end but when picked up by the computer, no data could be sent or received. it's as though a connection couldn't be made. why is that so since the computer could answer the call? thank you so much for your attention. i really appreciate this. do reply me as soon as possible.